1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fragmentation grenades, that is to say, to munitions of the type comprising a frangible casing which contains a quantity of high explosive, such that upon detonation of the high explosive, the casing disintegrates into a number of individual high-velocity fragments. The fragments in the casing, prior to detonation, can be pre-formed discrete fragments or pellets which may be held together by a suitable matrix material; or the casing can be notched so as to define the shape and size of the fragments generated upon detonation (for example formed from pre-notched wire, or cast with grooves or notches in its surface); or the casing may be un-notched, so that the generated fragments are more random in terms of their size and shape.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The conventional grenade has been in universal use as an anti-personnel weapon for many years, but the basic concept as outlined above has remained essentially unchanged. The present invention seeks to provide a means to improve considerably the performance of the fragmentation grenade, ie to increase substantially the probability of incapacitating a human target for a given mass.